


We Never Left

by NellyHarrison



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Family Feels, Mentions of Berica, Mentions of Draeden, Pack Feels, Spoilers to 4x12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:37:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2278677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NellyHarrison/pseuds/NellyHarrison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Companion piece to episode 4x12, "The Broken Spell".  In theory, Derek was dead before he evolved.  What did he see during that time before coming back as a wolf?  Prepare for feels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Never Left

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written in one fell swoop, so all errors are accidental. Sorry. Hope you enjoy regardless!

Darkness surrounded Derek as he wandered. This must be what death was. Or maybe this was his hell. Ahead of him, a bright light shone, and he walked towards it until he was blinded by it. As he blinked to adjust to the light, a few figures appeared before him. Even when his vision became clearer, he continued blinking, more in shock than anything.

"M-Mom?" he muttered, swallowing dryly at the sight of his mother, in all her strong majesty, standing in front of him.

"Hi sweetheart," Talia replied, smiling sweetly at him.

"Am I..?" he started, but stopped when she shook her head.

"No, but you're not quite alive right now either," she explained. "You don't have much time, and I know a few people that wanted to see you while they could." She looked to the left, and seemingly appearing out of nowhere, two familiar people walked towards them. Derek let out a stuttered breath as Erica and Boyd stopped beside Talia, their hands laced and soft smiles on their lips. They looked happy, and healthy. So unlike the last images he had of them.

"Leave it to you to get yourself killed saving Scott, you fricking martyr," Erica teased, a small laugh bubbling out of her.

"Oh shut up," Derek replied, shaking his head at him. "Am I allowed to hug you guys?" Boyd and Erica looked at Talia, who nodded, giving Erica the permission she needed to rush forward and throw her arms around her former alpha. Derek hugged her tightly, tears growing behind his eyes as he soaked in the embrace. "God, I missed you."

"I missed you too, sour wolf," she replied, sniffling. She pulled away and wiped away a fallen tear, then moved away so Boyd could wrap his arms around Derek.

"So did I," Boyd assured him, patting his back before pulling away as well. "You need to stop blaming yourself, Derek."

"I don't-" he started, then stopped when he saw their knowing looks. "How can I not blame myself? I was supposed to take care of you two. I was supposed to make your lives better with the bite. If it weren't for me, you would still be alive."

"But what life would we have had?" Erica asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "I would have continued being a pariah, and I could have easily still died from one of my seizures."

"I would still be alone and unknown," Boyd added, reaching over and taking Erica's hand once more. "I never would have met Erica, or Isaac or any of the others."

"Our lives might have been shorter, but it was a better life than we would have had without you," the she-wolf explained, looking down at their hands before locking eyes with Derek. "We don't blame you, and we don't want you to blame yourself anymore. We're happy. We're in a better place and we're free. Of course we miss the others, especially you and Isaac, but we're okay. We want you to be okay too."

"Yeah, we want you to be happy," the boy confirmed, offering a small grin.

Derek sighed and looked down, then nodded as he returned his gaze to them. "I'm sorry for what happened, but I'll try harder to move on."

"That's all we ask," Boyd stated.

"Well that and doing whatever you can to keep that Braeden chick around. That chick is hardcore. I 100% approve," Erica commented, eliciting chuckles from all of them.

"Kids, time's up," Talia told them, drawing their attention to the woman. They both nodded and looked back to Derek.

"Wait, I don't want to say goodbye yet," he rushed, moving towards them.

"We have to. But we'll always be there for you," Erica assured him, reaching up and cupping his cheek, his eyes falling closed at the touch. "We never really left after all." She withdrew her hand and looked up at Boyd, who nodded and began leading her back where they had come. Derek watched as the light consumed them and they disappeared.

"Derek," Talia spoke, drawing his attention. She moved towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to go back soon, but you need to know something."

"What's that?" he asked, expecting some extreme wisdom from his mother.

A sweet smile brushed her lips as she moved her hand along his head. "I'm so proud of you." The air was ripped from him at his words, and his eyes grew damp. "You're so surprised?"

"Kind of, yeah," he replied, letting out a breath. "I was so afraid that after what happened with Kate and the failure I was as an alpha..."

"You were never a failure, and I would never be anything but proud of you, Derek," she assured him. "You have been through so much, and you're still fighting. That takes so much strength, strength that I always knew was inside of you." His expression softened, and his eyes fell closed when she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "You're doing good, honey. And you're only going to grow from here."

"What do you mean?" he asked, opening his eyes to see her walking away. "Mom, wait!"

She paused and looked back at him, smiling calmly and sweetly. "It's time, Derek. Remember to keep fighting." Within seconds, she had disappeared too, and the darkness began rushing towards him. He wasn't sure what was going to come next, but he knew he would be okay. When the time came, he would join them again, but for now, he would keep fighting.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't resist. I hope you liked it. Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!


End file.
